ProperTidy Co Aquires "EcchiDreams"

ProperTidy Co has announced the acquisition of EcchiDreams in April 2023, although the financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. The acquisition is not expected to affect the day-to-day operations of the site, nor will it result in changes in management, staff, or policies, at least in the short to mid term.

EcchiDreams started in 2007 as a small invite-only community for friends to roleplay with each other but soon became public for anyone to register. The site primarily caters to anime/hentai-themed roleplay and fictional writing, as well as general discussions on various topics. EcchiDreams has undergone several changes in ownership and hosting providers, and it has even suffered a few total restarts along the way. However, since July 2013, the site has been stable, hosted by the same provider, and has grown organically to hundreds of daily active users, called Dreamers. EcchiDreams uses a heavily modified forum (Bulletin Board) that allows people to roleplay within its clubs or via its messenger system (EcchiTexts). Initially, the site used vBulletin Forums as its framework, but it switched to Invision Power Suite (IPS) in July 2009 for better flexibility and cost-effectiveness.

IPS is a modern and feature-rich suite, but it requires customisation and modification to meet EcchiDreams' specific needs. In the past, customising the software was relatively easy, and the site's needs were met by third-party modifications available through the IPS marketplace. However, in recent years, it has become increasingly difficult and costly to do so. The site's budget concerns make it free for all users, with no donations or excessive advertising. Nevertheless, with the increase in licensing, domain, and server costs, and the requirement to renew 40-60 different third-party modifications, the costs have become a substantial issue. The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the limitations of the software, and the EcchiDev team has reported hitting a "ceiling" in what they can modify.

RoleTael is a bespoke solution that aims to solve the limitations faced by EcchiDreams. It is a platform designed for roleplaying and creative writing that is developed in-house with no third-party developers which makes it more flexable to changes. It also lacks licensing costs, making it more cost-effective. Whether EcchiDreams will run on RoleTael or become it is still unclear, but the expertise gained by EcchiDreams in its field will undoubtedly be valuable in developing and refining RoleTael.

ProperTidy Co is a relatively young company created by Mole and Tema in 2023 as a parent company to RoleTael. It is ambitious in its ideas and aims to create a platform that caters to the needs of roleplayers and literature creatives. RoleTael will serve as a platform for users to post their stories and collaborate with others in creating and playing in their universes.